I was on the highway and I ran out of gas, I pulled over and gas was delivered to me and my wing still wouldn't start, I jump started the battery several times but as I started to ride it just dies on me. I almost died because of that too . Is she ruined forever? did I kill her? Do I just need a new battery? Did I flood the carbs by riding? any damage done? so many questions and i'm so scared! My life is nothing without her, I cant get to work without her yet alone just live my life, please help!!

thank you so much for your reply. I needed to be jumpstarted before, I couldnt even hear it trying to start up, the lights would just dim when i pushed the start button. and i just put a new battery in it right now and she fired up no problem nice and strong but then she stalled a few seconds later . I tried again and the same thing happened. I tried again and it wont even start now, i'm done for the night as I dont want to kill the battery(cross my finger and hope i didn't kill it already.) but ill try again tommorrw when its much warmer outside. Also I only had her for a year and the previous owner didnt tell me much about her unfortunaley. any ideas will be much appreciated!!!

Sounds like you may have a fuel blockage. Check fuel filter first. If you've sucked some crud into it, when you start the bike the engine is using fuel faster than it can get to the carbs. If you leave the bike standing for a while with petcock on, the fuel will slowly dribble through to the carbs and fill the float bowls. Bike will then start and run for a short while until fuel in bowls is used.
Maz

thank you all so much. Excuse me for my ignorance but i'm new to biking and my wing is my first bike, that being said, Can i even switch the petcock on or off with an 84 interstate? if so how? also how do i check the fuel filter?

I does sound very much like you have sucked some rubbish from the tank, running on empty can some times do that. if you have never changed the fuel filter, now would be a good time to that. I would suggest a service manual would be an idea if you intend to do it yourself.

The petcock is on the left side of the bike, and can be turned off by turning the lever, so that it is horizontal. be sure to turn it back on before starting. the filter, is a little hard to see. its tucked up, and held in place by a bracket, between the fuel pump (on the right) and the petcock on the left. if you trace the fuel lines you will see it.

Hey everyone, I just waited for the warmest part of the day right now to try and start her up again and she fired up like a champ!! Not only that but Ive never heard her purr this loud before and the idling was so strong!! I went for a test and and she is a bit smoother than before haha! I have no idea what happend, but im so happy!!! Perhaps all the previous attempts unclogged the inside or something? Either way Im so happy she is back!! Although i really should still replace the filters and what not, I'll get a manual as soon as possible! Thanks for all the replies!

crimsonwing wrote:thanks Maz, thanks for your responses. So I actually got a diagnoses and it turns out I have a bad alternator. I hope that's not an expensive fix either, but i'm going to order one asap.

Um I hate to be the bearer of news, but if its the stator that is bad the motor will need to removed to replace it. there a few things to check before going down that route. under left hand side cover, to the left of the battery, are 3 yellow wires leading into connector. check the area for burnt wiring this is very common problem, which causes the stator to not charge. another is to the right of the battery, under a rubber cover. check the fuse, and for any burnt wiring around there too.

It seems strange that your problems started, with an empty tank, that doesnt sound like stator, it sounds like a fuel problem still

Thanks for your input oldishwinger, I'm gonna try all that tomorrow in the daytime. I hope its one of these problems. Now that i think about it, i don't think its fuel related because one, I probably never ran out of fuel actually. the fuel guage was extremely low but my fuel light never came on as it usually does when it gets around that level, I think the coincidence of the shut off and my fuel being that low made me jump to that conclusion. Two, she fires right up like a champ when i jump the battery, but the battery starts to slowly die and goes from 14 to about 9 in 45 seconds and then the engine stops. what do you think?

crimsonwing wrote:Thanks for your input oldishwinger, I'm gonna try all that tomorrow in the daytime. I hope its one of these problems. Now that i think about it, i don't think its fuel related because one, I probably never ran out of fuel actually. the fuel guage was extremely low but my fuel light never came on as it usually does when it gets around that level, I think the coincidence of the shut off and my fuel being that low made me jump to that conclusion. Two, she fires right up like a champ when i jump the battery, but the battery starts to slowly die and goes from 14 to about 9 in 45 seconds and then the engine stops. what do you think?

yes it does sound now like charging problem. at rest, a voltmeter across the battery terminals, should show around 13 volts. at 3000rpm, the voltmeter should be around 14 14.5 volts and holding. The voltage will drop below that at idle. If the battery charge drops below 11 volts the bike will stop and wont start again, until the battery volt charge is again at around 13 volts. that explains why it will start when jumped.

To do a proper test of the stator, and rectifier, you will need a service repair manual, a voltmeter and the 3 yellow wires mentioned earlier will need to be cut. I would advise getting some assistance, if you are unsure about using meters etc.